Spring 2023 VIRTUAL Undergraduate Research Symposium

The tarnished plant bug (also known as the lygus bug) is a common pest of many agricultural crops. Including cotton, alfalfa, and various fruit and vegetable crops. Lygus bugs can cause substantial economic damage to alfalfa fields which may result in as ...

What critical factors influence soil respiration? Soil respiration is the measure of CO2 released through microbe-mediated decomposition. This measure reflects the health and productivity of ecosystems and indicates the ability for soil to sustain plant g...

Bird species can have dialects based on the region of the world they live in. Bird populations of different species that live in the same region, can learn to associate the other species' calls with specific events. Studies have found that co-occurring

Organisms have finite energy to devote to survival, growth, reproduction, and immunity. Here we examined if physiological factors within offspring egg yolk are reflective of Green Iguana maternal characteristics that are indicative of such energetic const...

Vasopressin (AVP) is a social neuropeptide, known for activating reward systems in several species when stimulated in social situations. There are higher levels of the AVP 1a receptor (AVPR1a) in the brains of monogamous animals over non-monogamous animal...

Bird species can have dialects based on the region of the world they live in. Bird populations of different species that live in the same region, can learn to associate the other species' calls with specific events. Studies have found that co-occurring

Alfalfa has the third largest production value of any crop in the United States. Pollinators such as alkali bees (Nomiamelanderi) are essential in the growth and productions of alfalfa crops. In WA, growers in the Touchet-Gardena-Lowden (TGL)area have bee...

Argentine hemorrhagic virus Junín (JUNV) is an arenavirus that the WHO has identified as a serious public health risk calling for more attention. There’s a live attenuated vaccine available, but it isn’t approved outside of Argentina due to the instabilit...

Understanding antiviral drug effects on drug-resistant viruses allows for proactive treatment options for new and emerging viruses. It is difficult to create effective antivirals for SARS CoV-2 and other coronaviruses. This is an issue of great concern. C...

Willow Park is a Zoo located in Logan Utah. It has over 40 species of animals including birds, canines, ungulates (hoofed animals), rodents, and reptiles. This 1 credit internship gave me the opportunity to learn about taking care of various kinds of anim...

Complicated grief can be a severe mental health disorder, and in humans, losing a spouse is associated with a 48% increased risk of death. Understanding the biological underpinnings of grief and loss could help find treatments and therapies. The neurohorm...

My cooperative internship experience is at a microbiology lab called Food Safety Net Services or FSNS for short. At FSNS, we provide food safety testing for our clients for both qualitative and quantitative methods. This includes sampling of products, enr...

Coyotes: A unique organism in the Canidae family that exhibits socially and sexually monogamous behavior. 1 Oxytocin: Oxytocin is a peptide similar in structure to vasopressin that deals with maternal behavior, aggression, territoriality, and espec

Many birds, including hummingbirds, are mutualists with specific species of plants. More than 7000 plant species rely on hummingbirds for pollination, and hummingbirds need floral nectar to fuel their fast metabolism (Rodriguez-Flores et al., 2019). At La...

I have been participating in an internship at Northern Utah Eye Center as an Ophthalmic Technician. As part of this internship, and being an ophthalmic technician, I have had the opportunity to interact with patients in the medical field. I have had to le...

In collaboration with the Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR), we have begun an investigation of ectoparasite prevalence on Mule Deer in Eastern Utah. Two methodologies have been adopted for the collection of these deer to be combed for ectoparasite

Animals and insects have been shown to demonstrate a slight edge effect due to vegetation and microclimate conditions1. Studies have suggested that species richness was greater at the edge compared to the interior of the forest. Microclimate conditions at...

Suisun Marsh is a brackish wetland fed by the San Pablo Bay and the San Joaquin Delta. Increases in urbanization and agriculture, along with warming global temperatures, are leading to drier, saltier conditions in Suisun Marsh. Land managers need strategi...

Behavioral responses toward environmental changes are based off individuals. The social dynamics and structure are often regulated by the diversity of personality types between individuals. For instance, aggressive individuals may secure more rep

Complicated grief can be a severe mental health disorder, and in humans, losing a spouse is associated with a 48% increased risk of death. Understanding the biological underpinnings of grief and loss could help find treatments and therapies. The neurohorm...

Halictus rubicundus a species of sweat bee that shows various social strategies depending on its location and temperature. The purpose of our experiment is to determine how climate change and the warming of our planet will affect these social strategies s...

Mantled Howler Monkeys, Alouatta palliata, are an important part of the rainforest. They help to germinate and disperse seeds in the area by eating large quantities of leaves and fruits in the trees and through their excrement are able to disperse those s...

Vasopressin is a hormone in the brain. It acts in social bonding, social behavior, aggression, and territoriality. Vasopressin signals are received by AVPR1a (Arginine Vasopressin Receptor 1a). Density of vasopressin receptors impacts function in the brai...

I had the opportunity to work as a medical assistant at a pediatric office this semester at the Budge Clinic in Logan, UT. I chose to do this internship because I have a goal to become a Physician Assistant after I graduate and thought it would be a great...

Camouflage is a common evasion method for predators and prey. One camouflage method is disruptive coloration, involving low or high contrast areas of color distracting from the organism’s overall shape.In toads, motion is the primary visual detection meth...

The purpose of this project was to understand how various mutations on the attenuated rCan strain (vaccine strain) of the Junin virus (JUNV) affected its growth fitness and morphology within in-vitro testing. This has previously not been clearly investiga...

Logan Regional Hospital’s Emergency Department (LRH ED) is a fast-paced, 23-room, trauma 3 designated facility that handles over 100 patients on a daily basis. Within the department are multiple levels of care providers, including registered nurses, healt...

Complicated grief can be a severe mental health disorder, and in humans, losing a spouse is associated with a 48% increased risk of death. Understanding the biological underpinnings of grief and loss could help find treatments and therapies. The neurohorm...

Vasopressin is a hormone in the brain. It acts in social bonding, social behavior, aggression, and territoriality. Vasopressin signals are received by AVPR1a (Arginine Vasopressin Receptor 1a). Density of vasopressin receptors impacts function in the brai...